Douglas V. Mastriano is a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Mastriano represents the body's 33rd District. The 33rd District is a Republican stronghold and includes Gettysburg.
Mastriano is also a vocal Trump supporter. In large part, what led him to participate in a highly controversial meeting in the Oval Office on November 25. He brought his son, Josiah, and a friend of Josiah's with him.
Was informed they'd tested positive for COVID-19 while meeting with Trump
Mastriano and a number of other Trump-supporting Pennsylvania lawmakers gathered at the White House on November 25.
The meeting was to discuss possible methods of overturning Joe Biden's Presidential election victory in the state, reports the Associated Press.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that they were all tested before visiting with the president. However, the meeting apparently commenced before all of the results came back. It was there that Mastriano got the news. He, Josiah, and their companion had all tested positive for the novel Coronavirus.
The White House medical staff was brought in to attend to them. Evidently, they were sent home aboard a specialized airplane. The other people in the Oval Office are supposed to follow appropriate safety measures. However, the Associated Press reports that the meeting continued after Mastriano and the others left.
The White House gathering wasn't the only public appearance Mastriano made on November 25. Earlier in the day, he attended a Pennsylvania Republican official meeting, where he didn't wear a mask. The event reportedly lasted for several hours.
Mastriano is a veteran of the Gulf War
Douglas V. Mastriano served in the United States Army for more than 30 years.
He was stationed in Germany as a member of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment for part of it. Later, he served in the Gulf War and as a professor at the United States Army War College. Mastriano retired from the Army, holding the rank of colonel.
In 2018, Mastriano ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives.
Initially, he ran in the Republican primary in the 9th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. U.S. Representative Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, was retiring. However, amid the campaign, Pennsylvania underwent a re-districting. Afterward, Mastriano was eligible to run in Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District. Democrat Brendan Boyle had held the District, but he was shuffled to the 2nd District.
Mastriano continued running for Congress in his new District. However, he finished in fourth place in the closely-contested Republican primary. Medical doctor John Joyce won the primary and later the general election. State Senator John Eichelberger and State Representative Stephen Bloom also finished ahead of Mastriano.
In 2019, he won a seat in the Pennsylvania State Senate in a special election. It followed the resignation of State Senator Rich Alloway.
